And So It Goes
by EmayaShipper4eva
Summary: AU. Alison's dead and Paige is gone. No closet, no weed, and no A, but that doesn't mean no problems for Emily Fields. Sure she isn't dealing with a psycho stalker, drugs, or hiding herself, but when Maya St. Germain moves in next door, Emily's life is completely turned around. Spoby, Haleb, and Ezria later- Emaya. Trigger warnings. Based on the song "And So It Goes" by Billy Joel.
1. Next Door Neighbor

_Hey guys! So this idea just kind of came to me and I wrote it in one day somehow... Hope you like it!_

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><p>It was a week before school started, and when Emily woke up that morning, the first thing she heard was something she wasn't used to in her normally busy house- silence. Even in the summer time, her mother was usually awake and making breakfast downstairs. She blinked her eyes open and walked downstairs, seeing that the kitchen was empty. "Mom?" she called out, hearing her voice echoing throughout the room. She walked back up to her bedroom and looked through the window and saw something else she was used to- a moving truck was in the driveway of the house beside hers.<p>

No one had been in the house since Alison had died two years ago, and after her parents moved without even selling the place it has just been left to sit. She looked closer and saw three people standing and talking with her mother. Quickly she got dressed and brushed her hair through before walking outside and over to the house. "Emily! I'm glad you're awake sweetie, I want you to meet our new neighbors," Pam smiled warmly at her daughter, and as the swimmer approached her she got a better look at the group- two older gentlemen and a girl her own age.

She couldn't help but stare for a moment. She was beautiful- she had slightly darker skin than Emily did, she was about 5'2, had long, dark hair, deep brown eyes, and a gorgeous smile. "Hi, nice to meet you Emily. I'm Andre, this is my husband John," one of the men told her and both offered their hands out. Emily smiled shook both their hands welcomingly. "And this is our daughter Maya," John introduced the girl. Even her name caused the swimmer's heart to flutter.

"Hey," she grinned shyly. "Hi," the taller girl's voice was just as nervous. While Pam started talking to Maya's parents the two girls walked off to the side. "So you just moved here... Why Rosewood?" Emily asked. "My dad got a job here and California life was just getting old," the shorter girl shrugged and smiled. "You lived in California?" the swimmer asked indigenously. "Yeah, I guess it's just not the glamour and star it's said to be," Maya chuckled. "Well, want me to show you around town? I mean it's not hard to get used to once you've lived here for awhile, but at first it can seem a bit confusing," Emily offered.

"Yeah, I'd love to," the darker girl smiled. The swimmer walked up to the adults. "Is it alright if I show her around a bit?" she asked, both to her mom and to Maya's dads. "It's fine with us," John answered. "Sure sweetie, but don't be gone for too long, you have swim practice," Pam agreed. "I'm aware of that mom," she chuckled and rejoined the girl at the bottom of the driveway, leading her around the corner and out of sight.

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><p>"So you play guitar, piano, violin, sing, you've been offered three record deals for when you turn 18, but you want to go to college to be an FBI agent and don't even want to try to at least minor in music?" Emily asked. They had been walking around for about an hour now with their arms linked. Most of the walk had consisted of talking and getting to know each other a bit more.<p>

"Yeah. I mean, not everyone who gets a record deal becomes a star right away, or even at all. FBI isn't exactly the most secure job to land either, but even getting the degree's I need for it would be helpful. I mean, majoring in medical science and criminal justice then minoring in Spanish would easily get me a job as a surgeon, a translator, a lawyer-" Emily cut Maya off. "A lawyer?" she asked doubtfully, raising her eyebrow. "Alright, I would never even try for that, but still. I'm just naming things. There are plenty of other jobs. Besides, most people who make it don't even have degree's in music- mostly that's used to get jobs as teachers or professors," Maya explained.

Emily laughed and the two continued walking until the swimmer saw her friends Hanna, Spencer, and Aria sitting at a table outside the diner. "Hey, come on, there's some people I want you to meet," she smiled and pulled the musician over to the table with her. "Hey guys," she greeted. "Hey Em, who's this?" Aria asked sincerely, while Spencer and Hanna exchanged looks and smirked up at Emily. "This is my new _friend_ Maya, she just moved in next door about an hour ago and I'm showing her around," the taller made sure to emphasize the word friend and grinned smugly to herself when she saw the disappointed looks on their faced.

"Well it's really nice to meet you Maya, I'm Aria," the shorter girl smiled and caused Maya to smile as well. Hanna smirked, mischief smirking in her eyes. "Hey, I'm Hanna, and that's Spencer. It's nice to meet you. I'm sure you and our very open _friend_ Emily will get along extremely well," the blonde laughed as she put the same strain on the word friend as the taller girl had before. "Nice to meet all of you too," Maya smiled back at the group. "Well we better get going, she has practice in ten minutes, but it was nice meeting you all," the musician grinned and the two headed back towards their houses.

Hanna waited until they were out of earshot, then squealed. "They are totally into each other," she giggled. "How do you know that? They've known each other for an hour!" Aria defended. "Exactly! They had their arms linked and Maya knew what time her swim practice was. Who even remembers stuff like that unless their into the person that told them?" Spencer pointed out. Aria thought about it, then shook her head. "Don't you two go rooting for something that hasn't even started," she ordered, and with that she stood and walked off, leaving the remaining girls sharing knowing looks and squeals.

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><p>"So you are coming over then?" Emily asked, lying back on here bed and holding her phone to her ear. "Yeah, I gotta get another few boxes unpacked and I'll be over," Maya answered. "Great," the swimmer grinned and saw her mom in her doorway. "Hey I gotta go, I'll see you soon?" she asked into the phone. "Yeah, see you in half an hour," the musician confirmed. "Right, bye," Emily hung up and set her phone down. "Was that Hanna?" Pam asked, sitting on the bed beside her daughter. "No, Maya," the teenager answered. "You two have gotten close these past few days. Is there something more going on?" the older woman asked, smiling knowingly at her daughter.<p>

"What? No! Of course not! She's just a friend. Besides, she... She doesn't feel that way anyways," Emily mumbled the last part. "Has she said that?" Pam pressed. "Well... No, but I doubt-" the athlete started but her mom cut her off. "That's the thing honey. You doubt. You need to stop doubting and start hoping. It's obvious you like her. I'm not saying to rush right into a relationship, but don't completely dismiss the idea. After all, she may end up liking you- heck- she probably already does. How many swim practices has she showed up to in the past four days?" Pam asked.

"All of them," Emily couldn't stop the blush that crept up on her face. "Exactly. And while I love watching you swim because I love watching you have fun, swim practice is no picnic to sit and watch on cold, wet bleachers in a room that's hot and smells like chlorine," the older woman chuckled. "Thanks mom," Emily laughed and rolled her eyes. "I'm just saying. Don't assume that she doesn't have an interest in you when you've barely even thought about it," Pam smiled, hugged her daughter, and with that walked out, smiling to herself as she closed the door behind her.

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><p>"First day of school! How you holding up?" Emily laughed as she pulled up beside Maya in her driveway. "Good, I guess. At least I know some people," she grinned and got in on the passenger side of the blue car. It was true- Maya, Spencer, and Hanna had quickly bonded, almost as quickly as she and Emily had, and while she had gotten pretty close with Aria too, she had the same inappropriate attitude as the others did. "And I'm sure you'll easily bond with everyone in your music class," the swimmer giggled. She pulled out of the driveway and turned on the radio.<p>

"Nervous?" Emily giggled. "Ha, no," Maya scoffed and the athlete raised and eyebrow at her. "OK, yes," the musician sighed in defeat and the taller girl laughed. "Don't worry. All new students have someone who is assigned to show them around and I volunteered to be yours," Emily admitted a bit shyly. While she knew it was a bit excessive, she really wanted to spend more time with the girl.

"Really? Thanks," Maya smiled and blushed, but it was gone as soon as it had appeared. Thankfully they arrived a few minutes later and the tension left. "Come on, I'll show you where your locker is," Emily slung her arm around the shorter girl's shoulder and led her down the hall, not able to contain the butterflies that started as soon as they were touching.

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><p>"Maya! Hey!" a familiar voice caused the darker girl to turn around and see Hanna standing behind her. "Hey," the musician smiled. "Come on," the blonde ordered, grabbing her wrist and pulling her behind. "Where are we going?" the shorter girl asked. "You're sitting with us, duh!" Hanna explained quickly. When they reached the table Aria, Spencer, and Emily were already there. Spencer looked up and smiled. "Hey guys," she greeted them, sliding over so there was an available spot next to Emily. The swimmer threw her daggers with her eyes but her gaze instantly brightened when the darker girl sat beside her.<p>

"So I saw you and that guy Caleb earlier, what's going on between you too?" Aria asked, laughing. "Nothing, we were just talking. He's pretty cool, but if you're thinking that we would be good together than stop. I already know who he likes and it certainly isn't me," Maya laughed, winking at Hanna and causing the blonde girl to blush heavily. "And who do you like?" Spencer asked the musician, causing her to blush as well. "I... Uh... No one really, I mean I only know a few people..." she stumbled over her words. "Yeah yeah, I know that look. You totally have it bad for someone!" Aria squealed.

Maya blushed heavily and Emily started to talking to her about her classes. She shot the athlete a grateful look and the two started a conversation. Hanna and Spencer gave each other knowing looks as they watched the two talk, neither of them aware of just how far that the three people watching them would go to help them get together, no matter what the cost.

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><p>"Hey, you ready to go?" Emily asked as she walked up behind her friend. "Uh, actually you can head home. I've got band practice," the musician smiled nervously. "You're in a band? Already?" the swimmer asked. Maya nodded. The first three days of school had been pretty easy and she had quickly been accepted by the music kids. "Can I come and watch?" the athlete questioned. The shorter girl stopped packing and looked up at her. "You really don't have to do that. It's nothing spectacular," she smiled. "Come on, you've come to every swim practice I've had, and that's sitting in a wet hot pool area for two hours," Emily chuckled. "Honestly, it's fine Em. But you could come pick me up and we could head to my place after?" the darker skinned girl suggested.<p>

"Sure, where at?" the swimmer questioned. "You know where Caleb Rivers lives? His place in about two hours," the musician answered. "Alright, see you then," the athlete called as she walked out and quickly drove home. For the next few hours she was completely bored, and she couldn't get Maya out of her mind. She was seriously missing the shorter girl's presence. Suddenly her phone rang, and even though she knew it wasn't who she wanted it to be, her heart still sunk a little when she read Hanna's name. "Hey," she answered into the phone. "You sound lonely, where's Maya?" the blonde girl asked. "Band practice," the athlete responded.

"Aww, are you lovesick?" Emily could hear the smirk in Hanna's voice. "No I'm not. If you recall I decided that I would be focused more on my work this year than on girls," she reminded her. "Well you could definitely focus on some chemistry with her," the blonde chuckled. "Hanna!" Emily squeaked, her face flushing bright scarlet. "Just kidding hun. Anyways, if you see her tell her I said thank you! Caleb asked me out and we're going out on Friday!" Hanna squealed excitedly.

"That's great Han, I hope it works out," Emily smiled. "And I hope it works out with you and Maya as well. Gotta go!" she laughed and hung up. The athlete signed and tossed her phone away, groaning as she leaned back, hoping that luckily she would be able focus on anything but the girl who hadn't left her thoughts since they'd met. Then again, luck wasn't exactly always on her side anyway.

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><p><strong>So thoughts? Please review and let me know what you think!<strong>


	2. Something You Should Know

_Alright guys, so I know I just posted this two days ago, but I have so much freaking inspiration for this story so I'm gonna most likely update it frequently for awhile. Anyways, in this chapter, you get a background of what happened with Emily and Alison. Hope you enjoy!_

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><p>"You really don't have to stay and watch," Emily laughed as she and Maya walked arm in arm to the pool. "For the last time, I'm staying. You can't get rid of me that easily," the musician teased. "Its not that interesting to watch," the athlete laughed, slinging an arm around her friend's shoulder. "Well neither is watching me play guitar," Maya pointed out. "Oh hush you," the swimmer giggled and playfully bumped into the darker girl's side. "Fields! Break up the love fest and get swimming!" suddenly the voice of Emily's coach Jim brought the two out of their thoughts. "Oh uh, we're not, she's not my, we're just," the taller girl stumbled over her words as Maya backed up blushing deep scarlet.<p>

"Why are you still talking when you should be swimming?" Jim asked. "Sorry, coming," Emily threw an apologetic glance to her friend and quickly joined her team. "Alright Sharks! I want 100 laps!" Jim ordered. As the team started Maya leaned back against the wall, seeing she had a text message from Hanna. "Hey! Caleb and I are going out again tonight! Can't thank you enough for setting us up!"

Maya smiled at the message and quickly typed her response. "No problem, I hope you have fun :)" She put her phone away and for awhile concentrated on watching Emily. The two had been friends for six weeks now, and while she had come to care deeply for her friend, she wasn't sure what she truly felt. Every time she went near the girl, her stomach twisted up in knots, her head spun, and she felt like she couldn't breathe. The whole experience was very new to her.

The musician was pulled from her thoughts when her phone buzzed again. "Thanks :) BTW, what are you wearing to homecoming?" Maya sighed at the message. She hadn't even thought about homecoming. Not that she really planned on going, but if she were to go, she knew who she would want to take, and she doubted that would happen. "Don't think I'm going actually, it's not my thing" she messaged back. The response she got was almost immediate.

"WHAT!? How can you not be going? You have to go!" The text was very demanding and it surprised the musician a bit. "I don't know, I'm just not interested I guess. Besides, I don't even know the first thing about dressing up anyways" Maya sighed as she sent her text to the blonde, smiling when Emily looked over at her and grinned. Her phone buzzed again. "Then I can help you! I could even help you pick out a dress! Come on! I know someone who really wants you there ;)" The darker skinned girl blushed the text, but before she could respond her phone rang and Hanna's number came up.

"Hello?" Maya chuckled into the phone. "Come on, please say you'll go?" the blonde asked desperately. "When is it?" the darker girl asked. "It's next week on Friday," Hanna answered. "Who wants me there anyways?" Maya was a bit nervous to hear the answer. "Well Emily, duh," the blonde girl stated it like it was obvious and the musician's cheeks flushed red.

"H... How do you know?" she stuttered. "Well... I mean she hasn't said anything, but I guarantee that she does," the girl on the other end answered. The musician pulled the phone away from her ear as Emily walked past her and smiled, giving her a quick but soft kiss on the cheek and causing the darker girl to blush bright crimson. "Hey, when is your date tonight over?" the darker girl asked suddenly. "Around eight, why?" Hanna questioned, sounding confused. Maya took a deep breath in before answering, "There's something I need to talk to you about. I... I need your help..."

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><p>"I like Emily." It was the third time Hanna had made her repeat the sentence and Hanna, Spencer, and Aria had yet to show any reaction. Silence overtook the room, then suddenly it was filled with squeals from the blonde and the other two girls sitting on the floor and completing the circle. "Oh my god I knew it I knew it I knew it! OTP in progress!" Hanna giggled, high-fiving Spencer.<p>

"Look, it's... It's not that big a deal... But I..." Maya struggled to continue her words. "I need help... I don't know how to tell her. I've never felt this way before and I don't know what I'm doing," she admitted. "Aww! That's so cute!" Aria sighed dreamily, clasping her hands together. "What is?" the musician asked, genuinely confused. "That you act all tough and badass, but underneath you are really just a lonely soul looking for love but you don't know how! It's like fairytale romance!" the shorter brunette confirmed. "We can totally help you out. We know her better than anyone," Spencer agreed.

"Wait a minute guys... We're gonna have to be careful about this," Hanna startled everyone and all eyes stared at her. "Oh come on. I DO think SOME things out. But that's besides the point," she turned to Maya. "Look, I love you like a sister and trust you fully, and I doubt that you would ever do anything to hurt Emily, but we have to make sure you know what you're getting into. Has she told you about... About Alison?" the name was a new one to the musician.

"Who's that?" she asked, trying to recall if she had ever heard Emily say the name before. "Alison was... Well... A bitch. But she's also probably the reason Emily hasn't already asked you out yet. I mean, she's dated girls since her, but she never really cared for them. That was obvious. But with you... It's different... And that's why we want you together so badly and why we are so happy about it. Ever since her, Emily has shielded herself out from everyone except for us and her family. She has a hard time trusting other people," Spencer started.

"What... What happened?" Maya asked. She wasn't sure if she wanted to know, but she was sure that she needed to know. "Well... When we were in seventh grade, Alison wanted to make her mark and get a crowd of followers. She chose us, and it's no surprise why. We all admired her. I was overweight, Spencer talked to her books, and Aria dressed like she had walked out of a bad horror movie from the seventies," Hanna began, sharing a look with the other girls. It was hard to talk about their past, and although she didn't like to admit how they used to be, it was true and they all knew it. Maya gave a small nod and the blonde continued.

"Anyways, Alison knew our weaknesses, but Emily's was her favorite to manipulate. She always caught her staring in class, or glancing at her whenever she could. She easily used that against her. Ali had us all hang out together and we really didn't know each other, we only knew her. After awhile, us three, well, we tried to at least talk, but Emily stayed away. She only really talked to Alison. When Emily tried to start doing her own thing, become her own person, Ali knew that she had to take things further, so she kissed her and told her she secretly loved her. That was enough to get Emily's attention back where Ali wanted it," Hanna paused for a moment to breathe, then started again.

"She told Emily they could be together but it had to be a secret, and that was fine with her for awhile, until eighth grade. Emily wanted to go public, and she didn't want Ali to kiss other people. She wanted to really be her girlfriend, and Alison didn't. Then she went missing and her body was found a few weeks later. She had killed herself... It was a quick bullet to the head. No one really knows why, even now. She even... She even loved in the house you moved into... After they found her, Emily was a wreck. She didn't come to school for two weeks, and when she finally did come back she didn't have anybody," the blonde took a moment, trying to keep her voice normal as she continued.

"That's when she came to us and asked for help. She didn't have anyone else to turn to. Ever since then, she's dated other girls, but it never worked out. She never put any heart into the relationship. The closest she came to actually caring about someone was a girl named Paige, but that didn't last long and she moved away after about four months of living here. But you... She honestly has taken an interest in you. When we first met you, and we saw you two walking up to us, the first thing we noticed was that she had her arm linked with yours. You can imagine our hope, because even when she said you were a friend she had this dreamy look in her eyes. I doubt you noticed it though, you looked just as gone as she was. Seeing her happy like she is, it's something we haven't seen in a long time, and we've really missed this her. So... I get that this is a lot, but... We just wanted to make sure you know that we are going to do everything we can to protect her," by the time Hanna had finished, Aria and Spencer had a few tears that they were holding back.

Maya on the other hand, her tears had started long ago- tears of sadness, rage, pain, and sorrow. She looked up at Hanna and wiped her eyes, laughing humorlessly. "Good thing bitch is dead," she finally spoke. "And I get it. You would do anything to help her, and I respect that. I swear, I'll take care of her," she promised. "I'm sure you will," Spencer grinned, hugging her with one arm briefly. "Alright, now to get you ready," Aria giggled. "Ready? For what?" Maya inquired. "To tell her you like her of course!" the brunette answered.

"Is this gonna be one of those 'be yourself and you'll be fine' speeches?" the musician asked. "Well... Yes and no... You really just to explain everything in a way that you know how to do already," Aria sighed. Hanna suddenly perked up and grinned, "I think I have an idea."

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><p>Maya sat nervously in her room as she waited for Hanna to finish with her hair. "Are you done yet?" she asked anxiously. "Shush. I need quiet," the blonde girl ordered. It was an hour before homecoming, and the musician couldn't have been more nervous. After another twenty minutes Hanna smiled and stepped back. "Done!" she announced victoriously. "Ready to see?" she asked. Maya nodded and Hanna spun her chair around. It was everything the musician had not to gasp. She barely recognized herself.<p>

Her hair was up in multiple braids that flowed back into a bun, with a small but gorgeous silver pin holding it back. Her dress was draped about five inches below her knees. It was a dazzling, almost whitish-silver, with extremely slight tints of midnight blue flowing through the pattern. Her heels were two inches off the ground and the silver color matched the dress almost perfectly. "Hanna... I don't... I don't even... know what to say..." she stumbled over her words and her friend smiled, hugging her from behind.

"Don't say anything. Just go out there tonight and prove to Emily that you are different and that you are going to take care of her," the blonde smiled. Maya turned and hugged her briefly. "You are the best," she grinned. "Tell me something I don't know," Hanna laughed. "Alright, I'll be over in forty minutes to pick you up, don't lay back and don't lean against anything. Just... Sit up on your bed and watch tv or something," she instructed. "Yes ma'am," Maya laughed, holding up three fingers. "Be back soon!" The blonde called, walking out to her car and leaving the musician alone in her room to think about the night ahead.

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><p>Emily walked into the gym nervously. Aria had helped her with her hair and it was expertly braided on each side so when they met in the back they formed into one long french braid. Her dress was a dark sparkling blue with one strap over her left shoulder, and it had a silver belt running across the waist. Her shoes were silver flats that matched the color of her belt.<p>

"Em! Over here!" she heard Aria's voice and turned to see her friend standing off to the side. "Hey," she smiled, giving the chipper brunette a brief hug. "You look incredible!" Aria grinned. "So do you. Where's Ezra?" the athlete questioned. "Supervising," the shorter girl pointed to her boyfriend on the other side of the gym. "Kinda sucks you have to watch your boyfriend at a dance and can't dance with him," Emily apologized. Aria shrugged. "He promised me a homecoming dance later on," she giggled. "Have fun," the swimmer laughed. "Hey guys!" Spencer walked over with Toby's arms linked in hers and the two girls smiled at her knowingly.

"How are you guys doing?" she asked. "Good, how are you two love birds?" Aria giggled. Spencer blushed heavily and grinned. "We're fine," Toby answered with a smile. "Where's Hanna?" Spencer asked. "No idea. She's supposed to be here with Caleb," Aria looked around. "Hey guys!" the voice of Hanna caused the four people to jump and whip around, laughing when they saw the blonde, her right arm linked with Caleb, her left arm with Maya. "Hey guys, glad you all could make it," Aria smiled. "Hey Em," Maya greeted nervously. "H... Hey," Emily quietly stuttered, staring at the musician in awe as Hanna wiggled her eyebrows at the others and released the musician from her arm.

"You... You look incredible," the swimmer complimented. "Thanks, so do you," Maya returned the compliment shyly, blushing a bit. For awhile the group stood chatting, complimenting each other and talking about school, while the athlete and the musician each cast daring glances at the other, looking down and blushing when they were caught, only to look back up a few moments later. Hanna made sure neither of the girls were watching her as she looked across the room and quickly texted Ezra. "Hey, we're ready." He looked up and nodded as the two made eye contact. The blonde watched as her English teacher walked over to the DJ and mumbled something to him. He looked up and nodded, turning the upbeat song that was playing down and turning on a slow dance song.

Spencer and Toby instantly walked out on the dance floor, followed by Caleb and Hanna. The blonde turned and winked at Maya who only stuck out her tongue. "I'm gonna go see if I can get a few moments to at least talk to Ezra," Aria smiled and raised an eyebrow at Emily but she only blushed and looked down. "Hey... Can we talk?" Maya's voice brought the athlete out of her thoughts and she nodded. The darker girl took her arm and linked it with hers, and the two started walking out of the gym when the musician's phone buzzed with a message from Hanna. "What are you doing?"

Maya quickly typed her response. "I have an idea, trust me." She led Emily out of the gym and down the hall and into a supply closet. "Is everything OK?" the swimmer asked as she sat down in a chair. The musician sat beside her and faced her. "Who is Alison?" the shorter girl wasted no time in asking the question. Emily froze and her expression fell from concerned to hurt. "How... How do you know about Alison?" she asked quietly. "Hanna told me... She said that she was a liar and used you and broke your heart. But I wanna hear what happened from you," Maya explained.

"Well... She basically is what Hanna said. She was a liar. She told me she loved me and she didn't... But when she died... When she died I had no idea what to do. I was a wreck, and... Ever since her it's been hard to be with anybody..." the athlete signed. Maya didn't know what to say so she simply nodded and gently took Emily's hand, wiping away a stray tear on the swimmer's face. Their eyes and the taller girl trembled a little. "Hey, it's alright," Maya whispered, pulling her friend into a hug. The athlete rested her head against the darker girl's shoulder and clung tightly to her, tears dripping down her face.

After about half an hour she regained most of her composure and pulled back, wiping her eyes. "God I probably look terrible," she laughed humorlessly, sniffling a bit. "Here, let me help," Maya smiled, gently wiping away some of the mascara that had smeared. Emily blushed at the touch and looked again into her friends eyes. "There, perfect," the musician whispered, brushing a strand of hair behind the taller girl's ear. The tension in the air was inevitable. Their noses were half an inch apart, their lips even closer. They could feel each others breath against their lips, when suddenly Emily pulled back. "We should... Probably get going... People are most likely wondering where we are," she whispered. Maya nodded and stood up, taking Emily's arm and following her back to the gym.

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><p><strong>So what did you guys think? I hope you're not too angry with me for not getting them together this early, but because of the lack of A and other things in the story, them getting together will be a longer and more important plot. I'll try to update again soon. Anyways, time for shoutouts!<strong>

**He0524: I'm glad you think so :) Hope that you enjoyed this chapter (Even though you were probably hoping for a kiss lol)**

**Rayk39: Thanks for the awesome compliment :) I try to keep things interesting between my stories and keep the storylines fresh. Glad you like the story and hope you'll stick around!**

**Sammyd11: Thanks, glad you like it!**

**Mybaeisshay: I am definitely continuing this! I will try to keep it interesting and I don't want it to end either... Maybe I'll find a way to make it an infinite story! Lol.**

**Guest: Thanks so much, I'm glad you like that Maya has two dads. I was a bit worried that would be too stereotypical but I'm happy you like it.**

**Thanks for reading guys!**


	3. Talk With The Parents

_Hey everyone! Sorry this update took awhile, I'll try to be quicker about the next one. Until then enjoy this chapter!_

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><p>Maya yawned as she walked into school that Monday morning. She couldn't believe how fast the first quarter of the school year was going. It had already been eight weeks since she had started at Rosewood high. She walked up to her locked and grabbed her history books when she felt arms around her waist and smiled. "Hey Em," she laughed, not having to turn around to know it was her friend. "How did you know it was me? I could've been some creep that spies on girls in the middle of the night then breaks into their room steals their panties and drags them out into the woods to kill them then leave them for dead so some hikers can find them the next day," the swimmer laughed.<p>

"Remind me again of the difference?" Maya teased back. Emily playfully shoved the musician against the lockers and the two linked arms, giggling as they walked to class together. "Alright class, settle down, we're starting a project today," the teacher Mr. Johnson announced as he walked in. Everyone got quiet and their attention turned to him as he explained the assignment. "You'll all need to choose a partner, but I recommend choosing someone you know will work and not just your friend," he explained. Despite his words, everyone in the room quickly eyes their friend, and Maya's hand instantly found Emily's.

By now, almost everyone assumed they were an item. They were always holding hands or putting their arms around each other or touching one way or another. At least a few times a day someone would tell one of them how cute they were together, and yet again they would explain that they were just friends. Within ten minutes they were in the back of the room trying to come up with a subject for the report. Maya's head was in Emily's lap and their hands were laced. "Roman Empire," the musician suggested. "Ugh, but that's so boring!" the athlete groaned, laughing. "Then what do you suggest we do?" the shorter girl laughed. "Hmm... Egyptians?" the swimmer asked.

"How are Egyptians any more interesting than the Romans?" Maya chuckled. "Because everyone knows so much about the Roman Empire, but what do people really know about the Egyptians? They are one of the oldest known civilizations and there is so much influence from them, yet humans barely know anything," Emily explained. "Someone has certainly done their research on ancient civilizations," the artist laughed, sitting up and grabbing her notebook.

"Yeah yeah call me a nerd," the taller girl giggled and playfully nudged her friend as she sat up beside her. "Why Emily, I'm offended by such accusations," Maya faked a gasp, grabbing her heart dramatically. The teacher looked up and narrowed his eyes at them, and they forced themselves to keep quiet, but he got a knock at the door a few seconds later so when he was out of the room they erupted in a fit of giggles. By the end of class they barely had any progress on the report, but they had made plans to go to Emily's house later and study. As they parted ways the swimmer couldn't contain the giddy smile that covered her face.

They didn't have any classes together until lunch and afterwards, so it wasn't until around 12:00 that they saw each other again. Maya walked up to the table where her friend sat with Hanna, Spencer, and Aria. "Hi," she smiled. "Hey," Emily's mood brightened a bit as she jumped up and kissed the musician on the cheek softly, causing her friends to smile knowingly at each other. "Are we still up for later?" the artist questioned, pulling her bag up over her shoulder.

"Yeah, my moms gonna be out for a bit, but we should be good," the taller girl answered. "What's later?" Hanna asked. "Studying," Emily quickly responded. The blonde only gave her a wicked grin and a wink, causing both girls to blush as they walked off hand in hand laughing.

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><p>Pam walked into the house around 4:30 that afternoon, the sound of laughter filling her ears as she shut the door behind her quietly. She walked slowly up the stairs to her daughters room and through the crack of the door she could see two pairs of bare legs tangled together. She panicked for a moment. Was emily really doing... That... While she was out? She opened the ajar door slightly, silently thanking God she had remembered to fix the hinges so not to squeak, and saw Emily lying on her stomach beside Maya, the two of them fully clothed in tank tops and shorts, reading a history book and laughing hysterically.<p>

She smiled and leaned against the door, watching for a moment. While she was a bit nervous for her little girl to actually take the next step in any relationship, she fully supported her daughter for who she was and was glad that she was hanging around Maya. It was a nice change to see in the teen. Ever since Alison, Pam had been quite worried that Emily wouldn't be able to open herself up again, but ever since her daughter had met the artist, she had changed quote dramatically. The older woman quietly walked downstairs and opened the door, not wanting the teenager to know she had been watching her.

"Emily, honey, I'm home!" she called, closing the door again. "Hey mom, it alright that Maya's here?" the swimmer called down. "That's fine sweetie," she answered, turning on the kitchen light and starting to put her groceries away. A few minutes later the two girls walked downstairs with their arms linked. "Nice to see you again Mrs. Fields," Maya greeted. "Oh please Hun, I've told you before, call me Pam," the older woman smiled warmly. "Alright, thanks Pam," the artist grinned. "Hey, I'm gonna go shower before dinner," Emily informed her friend and mom. The swimmer gave her friend's hand a squeeze and ran up the stairs, leaving the musician and Pam alone in the kitchen.

"So, you two have gotten extremely close over the past few months," the older Fields woman observed. Maya blushed a bit. "Uh... Yeah, I guess," she stumbled nervously over her words. "Look, I think you are an extremely sweet girl, and I think that Emily really likes you. Unless... I'm reading the signs wrong and you aren't interested?" Pam asked, raising an eyebrow at the teenager. "No, no not at all, I'm... Im extremely interested... But I'm not sure about her," she admitted shyly.

"Oh believe me sweetie, she's definitely interested," the swimmer's mom laughed. "How do you know?" Maya asked, sitting down at the island. Pam smiled, then answered, "Just... Trust me when I say, she wants to be more than friends."

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><p>Emily sat at Maya's dining room table as her friend showered. "Ah, Emily, nice to see you again," the voice of the artist's dad caused the swimmer to turn and smile at John as he walked in to door. "Hey John," she greeted. "You staying over again?" Andre asked, walking in behind his husband. "Yeah... Is that-" she was cut off by laughter. "You know we think of you as part of the family and you're always welcome here," Andre chuckled. "Right, sorry," the teenager blushed. "But, there is something we need to talk to you about," John informed her, sitting across from her, Andre sitting beside him.<p>

"Uh, sure," she agreed. "We are well aware by now that you and Maya are... Well... Extremely close," John chuckled. "Uh... Well we..." Emily tripped over her words as she tried to speak. "It's alright Emily, we just want to make sure that you are aware of... Well... Her tendencies..." Andre sighed. "Tendencies? To do what?" the swimmer asked, a bit nervous by the men's sudden change in tone. "Well... When Maya was about nine, her brother went off to the Navy," John started. "I didn't know she had a brother," the teenager was a bit surprised her friend hadn't mentioned anything about it.

"She... She doesn't like to talk about him. His name was Luke. He was 18 when he left, and Maya was devastated. They were best friends- he defended her, protected her, they did everything together, so when he left... Things got bad for her. She went into serious depression. It wasn't until she was thirteen till we found out about..." John struggled to continue and Andre gently grasped his hand, speaking for him.

"Till we found out about the cutting," Emily forced herself not to gasp at the news. "She... She was..." she stuttered, tears forming in her eyes. John nodded sadly. "She went to therapy and it seemed like things were OK, but then... Then we found out Luke was KIA," Andre avoided eye contact as he spoke the heartbreaking words that Emily knew meant killed in action. "That's when the cutting got serious. Before it was just surface scratches, not capable of seriously injuring her, but one day when she was fifteen we came home, and she was passed out on the floor covered in blood... She was barely alive, and the doctors still say it's a miracle she lived through the operations... And after Luke, she closed herself off. She wouldn't even talk to us for awhile. She would come home from school, lock her door, and do God knows what for most of the night. But when we moved here and she met you... Things completely changed. She started singing in the shower. She hasn't done that since she was eight. You're bringing out who she used to be, and we can't thank you enough for that," Andre smiled. Emily had tears falling from her eyes, but she grinned back and nodded. "I... I promise I'll take care of her," she swore, standing up and walking up to her friends room to get ready for bed.

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><p>When Maya walked into her room, Emily was sitting on her bed writing in her notebook. "Hey," the musician smiled, sitting on the bed beside her friend. The swimmer looked up and smiled, then back down at the pages. "Working on the history project?" the artist questioned, pulling a pair of sweat pants and one of the athlete's "Rosewood High Athletics" shirts on, then putting her damp hair up in a loose braid. The taller girl nodded and leaned back. Maya pulled on a pair of mismatch tie die socks and jumped up beside Emily. "Hey, is everything alright?" she asked, looking at the girl as she put her notebook down.<p>

"Are you... Are you cutting?" the swimmer asked. "Em, why would you ask that?" the shorter girl inquired nervously. "Your parents... They told me about... About Luke," the athlete whispered. Tears formed in Maya's eyes and she looked down. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you... I just..." she started to tremble and Emily wrapped her arms around her friend, holding her tightly as she shook. After about ten minutes the musician pulled away and looked into the taller girl's eyes. "It's alright," the swimmer whispered, kissing the shorter girl's forehead softly. Maya wiped her eyes and smiled a bit. "Come on, let's go to bed. You can tell me about him later if you want," the swimmer offered. The artist nodded and turned off her light, curling up in Emily's arms and falling into a deep sleep.

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><p><strong>Hey guys! Again, you were probably all hoping that this would be the chapter that they get together or at least kiss, but like I said before, that plot is probably going to be dragged out for a lot longer than it usually is in my stories. But I hope you enjoy reading anyways!<strong>

**Shoutouts:**

**He0524: Again, sorry that they didn't kiss here. I promise it won't be too too long, but Memories will also be updated soon so you'll get some kisses in that story ;)**

**Guest: Sorry! Their first kiss won't be for awhile**

**Kim Leekwan: I'm glad to see your review as always and I promise to update soon**

**Hope to see you all back here soon!**


	4. Awkward Moments

_Hey guys! Again this is a slow burn romance story, so they won't be together for awhile, but this chapter also is a bit shorter, hence the shorter update time. I'll try to make the next one longer but I am typing these on my iPad for the most part and its dying so I rushed it for the most part. I still hope you enjoy though!_

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><p>"Can you just not tell my mom that I swam?" Emily begged. Maya chuckled. "Nope, sorry, but I promised her you wouldn't go in the water at all, and I don't want you swimming either. You have a broken finger. I'm not about to let you get hurt," the musician chuckled. The swimmer groaned and let her head fall. The two girls were sitting in the stone bleachers on the Philadelphia YMCA pool area watching the swim meet that was currently in progress. Maya's legs were draped across Emily's lap, and the taller girl had her arms wrapped around the artist.<p>

"I do apologize sweetheart, but I gave my solemn vow of honor," the musician chuckled. "Well pardon me miss, but I do recall you saying before that you never vow anything," the swimmer challenged. Maya grinned and pecked her friend under the ear softly. A blush spread across both their faces and they agreed through eye contact to watch the meet for awhile. Emily pulled the shorter girl a bit closer and leaned back, running her fingers through Maya's hair gently. The musician forced herself to contain the butterflies she felt at the touch.

She knew that she should just tell the athlete how she felt, but she could never find the right time, or when she did she always chickened out. Of course the girls and Pam knew about her crush, but all of them had said that the swimmer had yet to admit she felt the same way. However, Emily was lost in pretty similar thoughts as well. She knew she should tell her friend about her crush, but she cared about Maya too much to risk loosing her friendship if she didn't feel the same way, or even worse, if she was freaked out by it.

"You guys are cute together," the voice of a little kid broke the girls out of their thoughts and they looked down to see a little boy who couldn't have been older than four years old smiling up at them. "Oh, uh..." Maya wasn't sure what to say to explain that they weren't a couple. "My mommies told me that when people don't hide who they are or what they feel it makes the world a better place," he grinned. "Well, they've taught you very well," Emily was too lost in the boy's smile to say anything else.

"Luke? Luke! What are you doing sweetie!" another voice caused them to look up and see an older woman making her way towards them. "Mama!" the boy giggled, rushing over to her. "I'm so terribly sorry," the woman apologized. "Really, it's fine," Maya smiled as she watched the two walk away, both of the girls returning their attention to the meet. At least, their physical attention. Their mental attention? Well, if it wasn't on each other before, it definitely was now.

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><p>The only light on the dim Philadelphia roads was provided by the soft lights from the occasional street lamp. The city was nearly empty at this hour, aside from two teenage girls who walked along the sidewalk, arms and hands linked. "I feel like I've been here before," Maya observed, looking around at the buildings as they walked. The sky was a bright shade of redish purple- on account that the lights from the city blurred out any stars that would have been visible.<p>

"We should probably be heading back, the team will be wondering where we are soon," Emily noticed the time on her phone. Even though she couldn't swim, she was still allowed to tag along and cheer the team on, and of course she had brought her best friend with her. Maya nodded and the two started the walk back to the hotel, when the artist noticed something that made her realize why she recognized the specific part of the city they were in.

"Wait a minute, I wanna show you something," she smiled, pulling her confused friend through the streets and into the woods. "Not to sound nosy or anything, but where are we going?" the athlete questioned. "You'll see, it's a surprise," the shorter girl answered. "How do you even know where to go?" Emily looked around at the trees that all looked the same to her. "I came here once on vacation a few years ago, and Luke and I found this spot. Come on," Maya continued to lead her through the forest until they stopped just outside a clearing with a small hill in the center.

"Close your eyes," the musician instructed. Although still confused, the swimmer did as she was told and shut her eyes, allowing the raven haired girl to lead her as she walked slowly. Eventually Maya stopped and helped Emily lay down on her back, settling down beside her. "Alright, open your eyes," she whispered softly in the taller girl's ear, causing her to shudder at the feeling. She blinked her eyes open and stifled a gasp- staring her in the face was the most beautiful, clear, sparkling starry sky she had ever seen. "Maya... This is... I don't even know what... This is incredible..." she stumbled over her words, smiling over at the girl beside her.

"This is on of the few things I loved about living in California. You could go outside and sit in your yard and see stuff like this anytime you wanted," the musician smiled. For awhile they lay motionless, but eventually Emily's hand found the shorter girl's and they instantly linked on contact. "Hey.. Uh, Em?" a nervous tone took over the artist's voice as she rolled over and face her friend. "Yeah?" the swimmer asked, meeting the musician's gaze. "I just wanted to tell you that I... I hope your finger heals quickly," Maya finally sighed, internally kicking herself for bailing out again.

"Oh, uh, yeah, right, thanks," Emily smiled and rolled back to her original position, but she couldn't help the sinking feeling that continued to build up in her chest as she lie so close yet so impossibly far away from the girl she had fallen for so hard.

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><p><p>

When Maya woke up that morning she was alone- the space beside her cold and empty. A feeling of disappointment filled her chest, but she forced herself to sit up and stretch. "Em?" she called, not seeing her friend through the darkness of the room. "In here," a voice from the bathroom answered her, followed by the sound of running water. The musician smiled, glad to know where the athlete was, and snuggled back down into the warmth of the bedsheets.

After about fifteen minutes she heard the water shut off and saw the taller girl walk out soon afterwards, dressed in sweatpants, a Sharks hoodie, and her hair in a damp ponytail. The swimmer leaned over the shorter girl and kissed her cheek softly. "Morning," she whispered. "Morning," the artist yawned, blinking her eyes open again and smiling through the shadows. "What time is it?" she asked, sitting up and stretching her arms over her head. "3:37," the athlete informed her. "And you are up why?" Maya chuckled.

"The bus leaves in half an hour, so you gotta get up. If you're still tired you can sleep on the way home, it's a seven hour drive," Emily giggled. The artist stood up and pulled on a pair of socks, as well as her coat and shoes. They took a few minutes to carry their bags out to the bus and pack before lying down beside each other in the hotel room for a little while. Within 45 minutes they were on their way back to Rosewood, Maya's head was rested in Emily's lap, the swimmer running her fingers through the shorter girl's hair gently as she fell further into sleep.

Just before she was completely asleep, the athlete kissed the musician's head, linking their hands together and resting her head against the window, eventually drifting off into a sleep just as deep as the one her friend was already in.

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><p><p>

Maya blinked her eyes open at the feeling of hitting her head. "Em?" she grumbled, her vision clearing enough to see that she was under a blanket, her head still in her friend's lap, as the swimmer watched a movie on her laptop. Emily smiled down at her, kissing her forehead softly. The musician relaxed and snuggled back up to the athlete, but she wasn't able to fall back asleep.

She was glad she wasn't asked to move though. She didn't really expect the taller girl to ask that anyways, but things were getting to be a bit awkward between them. However, her cravings were coming back, so she knew if she didn't tell Emily how she felt soon she was bound to start again- and Maya wasn't about to let that happen.

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><p><p>

**So here's the thing- I'm too lazy and panicked about my iPad dying to do individual shoutouts, so thanks to everyone who read and I hope you'll stick around!**


	5. As The Rain Falls

_Hey guys! So I'm not gonna say too much about this chapter, but I know by the end you'll all be like "Finally!" so I guess that tells you basically what will happen. If not, then enjoy being surprised._

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><p>Emily wiped her eyes once again as they dripped with rainwater. Although her mother constantly told her not to walk in the rain, it was one of the few activities that helped the swimmer think. Despite the fact that there wasn't much rain, it was still freezing cold, but it certainly beat sitting in her room and trying to keep her mind off of Maya. True, her thoughts were never far from the artist, but at least when she was busy she could focus on something that would help. Suddenly she tripped and recognized the figure on the ground in front of her through the drizzle of water.<p>

"Emily?" the voice she had come to love so much made her heart melt. "Maya, what are you doing out here?" the athlete questioned, helping the musician to her feet. "Just walking, helps me think. What about you?" the shorter girl asked, keeping their hands linked. "Same thing as you. Wanna walk with me?" it probably wasn't the best idea to walk with the exact person she was trying to keep her mind off of, but she was getting lonely and she didn't want her friend to suspect anything was off with her. "Sure, beats walking around here alone," Maya agreed, linking their arms together and reconnecting their hands.

They walked for about half an hour or so, talking very rarely, and never more than a few words at a time. They mentally agreed to stay on the edge of town so not to run into people- neither of them really felt like talking to anyone else. As they approached a puddle, Emily couldn't contain her inner child as she jumped in it, covering her friend with water in the process. Maya squeaked and jumped back as the swimmer fell to the ground laughing. "Oh you are gonna pay for that Fields," the musician growled playfully. The athlete threw her a wicked grin, mischief sparkling in her eyes. "You're gonna have to catch me first!" she squealed, jumping up and taking off into the woods. Maya chased behind her, eventually managing to grab her friend from behind and pin her to the ground. She smirked at the athlete and started tickling her sides.

"No... No no stop! S... Stop pl... Please! Yo... You win!" Emily stuttered through her laughter. The musician decided she had been tortured enough so she stopped her attack to let her friend sit up and catch her breath. Suddenly a heavy rain poured down on them and the two girls laughed, running hand in hand under the safety of a nearby tree. The swimmer let out a few breathy laughs, then smiled at the artist in front of her, tucking a strand of loose hair behind the shorter girl's ear gently. The athlete's breath was warm on Maya's lips, and their noses lightly brushed against each other. Emily closed her eyes and moved the slightest bit forwards, moving her hand up around her friend's neck, then suddenly the musician pulled away.

"We should... Be getting back... Before we get sick," she whispered. Emily felt her heart sink, but she nodded and they quickly made their way back to her house. "Thanks... For ya know... For walking me home..." the swimmer choked her words out. "No problem, I'lol see you later," Maya spoke without making eye contact, but she kissed the taller girl's cheek softly before walking away and disappearing into the cover of the rain.

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><p>Maya sat alone in her room, rain pouring down and the sky dark. She stared at a picture that she hadn't looked at in at least three years, maybe more. Tears flowed from her eyes as she sunk against her wall, pulling her knees up to her chest. It was bad enough that she had to lose her brother, but she couldn't bear to lose Emily to. She wouldn't let it happen. She looked at the clock and saw it read 6:24 P.M. Her vision blurred a little bit, and soon she felt liquid on her arms. When she looked down she saw not tears, but blood. In her hand she tightly clutched at a razor, and the clock was a blur of numbers. Suddenly Maya sat up in bed and felt her wrists frantically.<p>

There were no cuts, and no blood. She sighed and fell back in bed, her heart pounding so hard against her chest that she wouldn't be surprised if her dads could heard it and came running in to find out the source of the noise. Her breath was shallow and uneven, and she was trembling. She looked over at her bedside, smiling at the picture of her and Emily, their arms wrapped around each other and the girls laughing. It was in that moment that she decided that the next time she saw the athlete, she was going to confess her feelings, whether it turned out good or not.

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><p>Maya clutched at her books to the point where her knuckles were white. She looked around, eventually managing to locate the person she was looking for. "Hey Em," she smiled, walking up to the swimmer. She turned around and grinned. "Hey you," the athlete greeted, wrapping an arm around her friend. "Hey... Can I talk to you?" the musician asked nervously. Emily nodded and the shorter girl led her into the janitor closet, making sure no one saw them before she shut the door behind her. "Hey, are you alright?" the taller girl asked, looking at her friend confused.<p>

Maya shook her head. "No I... I'm not... I'm not OK... I need to tell you..." the artist stuttered as she talked, her voice shaking. "Hey, My, it's alright, just tell me, you can trust me with anything, you know that," Emily promised, kneeling down to her friends height and placing her hands on either side of her shoulders. Maya looked up, locked eyes with the swimmer, and without hesitating or pulling back this time, she leaned forward and connected their lips in a passionate kiss.

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><p><strong>Again I'm not gonna do personal shoutouts, mostly because I only have one new review for my recent chapter, but I'm glad you all read and I hope you enjoyed this one, even if it was pretty short! Read and review please!<strong>


	6. New Favorite Word

_Hey guys! (I swear that's like my signature greeting in every story I have.) Anyways, I'm glad you all liked the last chapter, but things aren't just going to be sunshine and rainbows for our girls. Hope you'll stick around!_

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><p>Emily's mind was racing, her heart was throbbing against her chest, and her thoughts were jumbled up to the point where she couldn't think at all, but she kissed back with as much passion as she could. She felt energy course through her veins and fireworks against her lips. The kiss was slow and careful, but when they finally pulled away as a result of a lack of oxygen, the swimmer's legs were shaking and she was breathless. Maya wouldn't meet her friend's eyes, and she felt her body trembling. She sunk down to her knees and let her head fall, tears forming in her eyes.<p>

"I'm... I'm sorry..." she whispered, sniffling a bit. Emily smiled sympathetically and kneeled down in front of the artist. "Hey, look at me," she instructed, although when her friend made no move to look up she gently tilted her head up, wiping her eyes gently. "You're... You're not... Mad?" the shorter girls voice quivered. Instead of answering her with word, the athlete kissed her again gently. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that," Emily whispered, keeping her forehead pressed against the musician's. Maya gave a small smile and blushed. The swimmer held out her hand and helped the artist to her feet, linking their hands together.

"So... What does this mean... You know for us?" the musician asked, blushing bright crimson. "Well it's not exactly the most romantic place to ask you this, but Maya St. Germain, would you like to go out with me?" Emily giggled. Maya smiled and nodded, kissing the taller girl again. "I'd love to," she mumbled against the athlete's lips. "Oh god, Hanna's gonna freak," the swimmer laughed. "Well at least most people won't think anything of it. They pretty much already assumed we were dating anyways," Maya pointed out. Emily grinned. "Yes, but before I couldn't do this," she picked the musician up and pulled her up on her back before walking out into the hallway laughing.

"Emily! Put me down!" the artist squealed, squirming in the taller girls arms. "Never!" the athlete cried victoriously, spinning around and giggling. The shorter girl eventually managed to get down and took the swimmer's hand in her own. They blushed simultaneously and started their way down the hall, neither able to contain the goofy smile that covered their faces.

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><p>Emily and Maya walked into the cafeteria that afternoon with their hands linked. "Hey, wanna see how long it takes them to figure it out?" the swimmer whispered. Her girlfriend nodded and the taller girl smiled. Girlfriend. That could easily become her new favorite word. They walked up to the table and sat down beside each other. "So how are you two lovely ladies doing?" Aria asked sincerely. "It's school, one can only be doing so well," Maya chuckled, linking her arm with the athlete beside her. Hanna eyed them suspiciously. "Something's up with you guys," she observed. "What are you talking about?" Emily asked, giving her friend a confused look.<p>

The blonde shook her head. "I don't know yet, but there is definitely something off," she sighed. The girls simply laughed and ignored their friend. For most of lunch they forced themselves not to kiss, even though the urge was practically begging for them to connect their lips again. Neither one really wanted to resist, and it was getting harder and harder to anyways, but they restrained themselves and focused on what the girls were saying. "Hey, I gotta get to class, I have a project I have to finish today," Emily was relieved at the sound of the bell, but her voice was a bit rushed. She stood up and kissed Maya on the cheek softly like she always did, then walked down the hall and forced herself not to look back.

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><p>Maya couldn't contain the grin on her face as she read the text message on her phone. "I miss your lips." She quickly typed her response. "Then come kiss them." The reply she got was almost immediate. "Anytime babe ;)" She giggle and a heavy blushed settled across her face. "Who are you messaging that you're so giddy about?" Hanna asked from her desk. "Just my dad being a dork," the artist lied quickly, making sure to keep her voice as nonchalant as possible. She knew that the blonde couldn't tell if she was being truthful or not, so she went back to texting her girlfriend. "Aria or Spence figure it out yet?" she texted, knowing that the swimmer had chemistry class with the two other girls.<p>

Again Emily's message was instant. "Clueless. What about Hanna? I know she's probably gonna figure it out before the others." She typed back quickly. "She's definitely suspicious, but I don't think she knows for sure yet. Gotta go, teacher's gonna start some announcement, I'll text ya later." She finished sending the message and put her phone away, not aware of the blonde still eyeing her from a few feet away, trying her hardest to figure out what was going on with her friend.

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><p>As the final bell rang to end school, Maya quickly sought out her girlfriend. Wrapping her arms around the swimmer from behind, she kissed her cheek softly and rested her head in the crook of the taller girl's neck. Emily sighed and leaned back slightly. "Hey baby," she grinned, turning and brushing a strand of hair behind the musician's ear. "Think we should tell them yet? We act like this all the time anyways, so I don't think that it's gonna make any difference, and they are gonna flip out," the artist giggled. "Tell us what?" Aria's voice caused the girls to turn and see her, Spencer, and Hanna walking up to them. Emily grinned and took Maya's hand in her own.<p>

"Well... We're..." the athlete started but was cut off. "Dating? Yeah we know, we found out earlier when Hanna saw your text messages. I thought you said you had something to tell us," Spencer laughed. "Then... I guess we don't," Maya laughed. "Well I just want you to know we fully support you guys and we think Emaya is the cutest thing ever," Hanna grinned. "Emaya? Really?" Emily questioned. "Yes, really. Now, I say that we all go to my house tonight to celebrate," Aria suggested. "Sounds like a plan," Maya agreed, and the five girls walked out of the school, none of them able to hide their smiles as they did.

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><p><strong>OK guys, so I'm kinda bored with shoutouts and they take up time, but I do value all your reviews and I love hearing your opinions, so keep telling me what you think of my writing!<strong>


	7. Coming Home

_Hey guys! So this chapter is another one that's mostly happy, but there is a bit of sadness/drama at the end. Nothing to worry about though, the power of Emaya always prevails! (Or does it?)_

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><p>Emily smiled down at the form of her girlfriend, the musician resting her head on the taller girl's stomach as she read a magazine. The athlete herself was busy working on homework for math that she didn't understand. After about half an hour, she groaned and threw her notebook to the ground. She sighed deeply and let her head fall back as she closed her eyes. "You alright babe?" Maya chuckled, sitting up and lying so that she was face to face with the struggling girl.<p>

"I hate math. I mean, why do we even have to learn it? It's not like I want to do anything that involves ever solving x+36y-3r+70zc = 24x+2y-82d," the swimmer whimpered. The artist grinned and kissed Emily's lips gently. "Better?" she questioned, brushing a strand of raven black hair out of her girlfriend's face and behind her ear. "A little," the athlete gave a small smile and kissed Maya again. It didn't take long for the kiss to deepen and as it did the musician pulled back. "OK you really need to do your work," she laughed. "In a minute," Emily whined, trying to kiss her again, only to be pushed back.

"I'm not letting you kiss me till that homework is done," the artist giggled, rolling over on her back and again resting her head on her girlfriend's stomach. It had been nearly a month since they had officially started dating, and the only people who knew for certain was the girls. It wasn't that they were afraid to tell their parents or anything, they just wanted to make sure that things were stable before they went telling everyone for it not to last. "Now you're just trying to be mean," the swimmer complained, grabbing her notebook off the floor and resuming her work. After another hour Maya seriously wanted to do something besides watch the taller girl struggle on her math so she sat up and looked at the paper.

There were only a few problems left, but they were harder than the first ones. She let her head rest on Emily's shoulder and kissed her neck softly. "I thought you said no kissing till I was done?" the athlete questioned, raising an eyebrow at the artist. "Correction. I said you couldn't kiss me. I never said anything about me kissing you," the musician pointed out, amusement in her voice. "Well if you keep doing that I'll _never _get done," Emily giggled, trying to focus on her paper. Maya flicked her eyes up and looked at the problems. "23, 6+3x, 17," she easily answered each problem. Without hesitation the swimmer filled in the answers and pulled her girlfriend's lips against her own, throwing the notebook on the ground. "Someone's eager," the musician teased. The athlete shrugged unapologetically and wrapped her arms around the shorter girl's waist.

Neither one of them were actually ready to take things further than kissing, and they agreed on that awhile back without ever really talking about it. It wasn't that they didn't trust each other fully, but they wanted to wait to take things to that level. After a few minutes Maya pulled back and rolled over to her back, turning on the TV and resting her head against the taller girl's shoulder. It was another half an hour before Pam got home. "Hey girls!" she called as she walked in, already knowing that Maya was there. "Hey mom, we're upstairs!" Emily called, scooting just a little bit away from her girlfriend. It wasn't uncommon for them to lie with their arms around each other before, but they lately were touching more and sitting or standing closer, for obvious reasons. "Hey... I think we should tell them," the musician's voice caused the swimmer to look down at her.

"You sure?" she asked, placing a soft kiss on the shorter girl's forehead. "Yeah, I'm sure. I want them to know," Maya confirmed. Emily nodded and sat up. The musician called her parents quickly and not long after a short conversation where she informed them that she wanted to tell them something and to come over to Emily's house, the girls were sitting on the couch in front of the three adults, holding hands nervously and continuously reassuring each other through eye contact. "Uh... Mom, John, Andre... We wanted to tell you that..." Emily stuttered until Maya finished for her. "We're dating," she completed. All three grown ups smiled. "We know, but don't you have something to tell us?" John asked, amused.

"Wait, you knew?" the swimmer asked, confused. "Well we may have been tipped off by Hanna," Pam continued, laughing a bit. Both girls blushed fluorescent red and looked down. "She told us the day you got together, and we decided to wait for you to tell us," Andre explained. "What took you so long?" Pam asked. "We just... We wanted to make sure that we were stable before we told you," the athlete informed them. "Well we are all very happy that you are together," John confirmed. The girls smiled and hugged their parents. "But you know that now there is a no closed doors rule," Andre pointed out, a hint of laughter in his voice. The two teenagers nodded and made their way back up to Emily's room, unable to contain their giggles as they closed the door.

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><p>The school day had yet to start, and Emily sat on the steps leading up to Rosewood High, working on an assignment for Spanish. Ever since she and Maya had told their parents a week ago that they were dating, they had been hanging out more carelessly and the athlete was starting to fall behind on her schoolwork. She was determined to keep all her grades at least above a B, otherwise her mom would be on her case. She was so involved in her work that she nearly missed her phone buzzing beside her. She picked it up and looked down at the screen, her face falling from curious to serious. She stared at the words, not quote sure that she was reading them correctly.<p>

"Em? What's wrong?" she heard Aria's voice and looked up to see her friend walking towards her with a concerned look on her face. "It's... It's my dad..." the swimmer whispered, her eyes not leaving her screen. "My god Em is he OK?" Aria questioned, getting more and more worried by the second. Emily smiled and nodded before answering, "Yeah, he... He's better than OK... He's coming home."

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><p>"When does he get back?" Maya questioned as she sat down on her girlfriends bed beside the swimmer. "He's supposed to be back in three days," Emily grinned. "I can't imagine how happy you must be," the musician smiled, taking the swimmer's hand. "When I see him I'll be happy. When he's actually home, then I can start breathing again," the athlete gave her girlfriend a small kiss and turned her TV on. "Do I... Get to meet him?" Maya asked, raising an eyebrow at the taller girl, who rolled her eyes and smiled. It was about an hour before they heard anything besides the movie that was on. It sounded like the door from downstairs had opened.<p>

"Hello?" Emily called, sitting up and muting her TV. "Mom?" she asked, looking over at the artist and back at the door. The girls exchanged nervous looks, but they vanished as soon as the figure entered the room- Maya's turning to confusion, Emily's turning to surprise and pleasure. "Dad!" the swimmer cried, jumping up and throwing her arms around him. "Hey there kiddo! How's my baby girl doing?" he chuckled, hugging his daughter back just as tightly. Pam walked in a few moments later. "And you must be Maya," the older man smiled warmly at the musician standing uncomfortably behind them. She nodded. "Well it's nice to finally put a face to the name," he grinned, holding out a hand. The artist took the offer and shook his hand slightly.

"Likewise Mr. Fields," her voice was nervous and Emily gave her a reassuring look. "Oh please, Mr. Fields is my father, call me Wayne," he insisted. "O... OK," Maya seemed to warm up a bit at that. "Well I should probably go, you guys have some catching up to do," the musician grabbed her bag. "You don't have to go Maya," Pam informed her. "No I should probably be going anyways, my parents need my help tonight, they're having some dinner party," the shorter girl stumbled a bit over her words. "Alright, I'll walk you out," Emily offered, taking her girlfriend's hand and leading her downstairs, making sure to close her door behind her. "What's up? You seem nervous. I promise you he won't bite," she asked as soon as she was sure they were out of earshot. Maya shrugged.

"I just... You need some time with your dad. I know what it's like to want to just have some time alone with someone when they come home," the musician's voice was quiet and suddenly the athlete understood. She had completely forgotten about Luke. "Oh my god... My I'm so sorry, I... I didn't know he'd show up in uniform, honestly I didn't-" Maya cut the taller girl off with a soft kiss. "Really Em, it's fine, I just... Catch up with your dad. I can always come over some other time," the artist offered a weak smile. "Alright... Can I call you later?" Emily asked, opening the door for her girlfriend. "Yeah, sure, see you later," and with that Maya kissed the swimmer on the cheek, fixed her bag, and walked out the door.

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><p><strong>So, thoughts? Read and review! Thanks!<strong>


	8. The Urge Is Back

_Hey guys! I'm so sorry that the update took forever, I kind of was a bit lost where I wanted to take this story, but I found more inspiration and I'll definitely be updating more frequently! In this chapter there are some trigger warnings, so be aware._

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><p>Maya hated ignoring Emily's calls, especially when she knew how worried the swimmer must have been about her, but she really just wanted to be alone for awhile. While telling her girlfriend that she left because she wanted her to be able to catch up with her dad wasn't a total lie, she was pretty sure that they both knew the real reason was because of the memories it brought back. As her phone rang with they sixth call from the athlete Maya turned it to vibrate. This time there was a message.<p>

"Maya, I know you're upset, and you don't have to call me back, but please let me know you're OK, I'm just worried about you is all. My dad really wants to officially meet you so... If you are interested come by later on tonight. If not I'll see you tomorrow." As the message ended guilt continued to build up in the musician's chest, and finally she couldn't take ignoring her girlfriend anymore. She picked up her phone and dialed the familiar number, and the call was answered before the first ring was over. "Hey," Emily tried to keep her voice calm as she realized how quickly she had answered. "Hey. I'm OK, alright? I'm fine, I was just a bit startled," Maya explained.

"I know. And I'm really sorry... If I'd have known that he would come home in uniform... I'd never..." now the swimmer was tripping over her words and she forced back tears at the thought of how hurt the shorter girl must have been. "Em, hey it's fine, OK? I promise you, I'm alright. Does your offer still stand?" Maya asked, wanting nothing more at the moment than to feel familiar arms around her waist. "Of course," the athlete responded, wiping a few tears from her eyes and regaining her composure.

"Then I'll be over, I'll just have to ask my dads, they really are having a dinner party, despite how much that sounded like a lie," Maya smiled a little and Emily let out a sigh of relief. "OK, I'll see you later," the taller girl smiled and hung up before standing and walking to her closet to choose an outfit for dinner.

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><p>When Maya arrived at the Field's residence she was dressed in a pair of black boots that stopped midway between her ankle and her knee, a pair of blue jeans, and an off white sweater with geometric red patterns stitched into it. She knocked at the door, something that she wasn't used to from all the times she had simply walked in to see her girlfriend. Even before they were dating, she never really knocked when she went over, she just walked in. But tonight it felt like she needed to be formal, so she knocked regardless.<p>

Emily answered the door and smiled when she saw her girlfriend, pulling her into a hug. "You could've just come in you know," she giggled, lacing her fingers with the musician. "Yeah but I didn't want to be rude," Maya answered. "Maya, nice to see you again," Wayne smiled as he walked out and offered put his hand. The shorter girl smiled back and shook his hand. "The same to you," she greeted.

Emily took her girlfriend's hand in her own and led her to the dining room, having her sit down before taking her own seat on the other side. She didn't release her grip on the musician's hand as Pam walked out and smiled welcomingly at the couple. Dinner went pretty well in the athlete's opinion. Maya and her parents talked and laughed for hours- mostly about Emily of course- and although by the end of the night Maya knew some things that the swimmer would have liked her to never have found out about, she was pleased with how everything played out. When it was time for her to leave, the taller girl accompanied her out to the porch and grinned.

"So? How do you think it went?" Maya asked as she looked up at her girlfriend smiling. "They really like you. Although I could have done without the embarrassing childhood stories," at that Emily's face burned red and the musician giggled. "Don't worry, I won't hold you to them for too long," the artist laughed and pulled the blushing girl into a kiss. Both pulled away after a few minutes and rested their foreheads against each other. "I'm really glad you decided to come tonight, I've dreamed of having my parents and the person I love getting along," the athlete smiled. "You... You love me?" Maya's voice was quiet and shaking as she asked the questioned.

"I... I mean... Yes, Maya St. Germain, I Emily Fields love you," Emily was a bit nervous to say the words, but she wasn't in the least unsure of her feelings. Maya let the words sink in, then broke out in the biggest smile she ever had. "I love you too Em," she pulled her girlfriend into another kiss and wrapped her arms around the taller girl's neck. The kiss was long and passionate, and when they pulled away both girls had red faces and heavy, uneven breathing. "I... Should probably go... My parents are probably... Wondering where I am," Maya breathed out, her lips still trembling from the feeling of the kiss. "OK... I'll see you tomorrow?" Emily asked in the same quiet tone. The musician nodded, kissed her girlfriend once more, then turned around and walked off into the darkness.

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><p>Lying to her girlfriend about why she wasn't ready to have sex wasn't something Maya was proud of. After all, they had been together for just over four months now, and she trusted Emily with everything she had, but she just couldn't bring herself to explain everything. Of course the swimmer wasn't pressuring her into anything and Maya didn't think she was going to, but she could tell that the athlete was extremely concerned. Lately the musician had been getting urges to cut again, and she had no idea why. She had ideal grades, she and Emily were extremely happy together, and both her parents as well as Pam and Wayne were more than supportive of their relationship, so she had no clue as to what was wrong.<p>

Yet obviously something was, and the urges were coming back. She didn't want to bring Emily into it, but she wanted to talk to someone. As she walked into her house she noticed it was empty. Before she realized it, she was in the bathroom and digging through the cabinet for her razor. When she found it she stared for a few moments, trying to defy her thoughts that were telling her to dig the metal into her skin. She placed it at the edge of her wrist, closed her eyes, and held her breath as she applied a slight bit of pressure. Then suddenly the front door opened, her dad called her name, and the urge was gone.

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><p><strong>So what did you guys think? Again I apologize for the long wait for an update and I hope you guys didn't freak out too much when Maya almost cut. She's gonna be going through some stuff for the next 4-7 chapters and I promise that soon Emily will be aware of the problems. She'll be there to help Maya out and get her through. Till next time guys, chow!<strong>


	9. Can't Fight These Tears

_Hey everyone! So I told you guys I'd be updating sooner, and I definitely cried writing this chapter, believe me, but I gave it a happy ending so at least you get that. There will be more scenes next time with Em and Maya dealing with the cutting and hopefully you guys will stick around. Until next time! Chow!_

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><p>"Have you been experiencing this long?" the question pulled Maya out of her thoughts and she looked up at Dr. James. "Uh... No... Well... I mean... Not this time... But I've had them before... Since Luke died," she stumbled over her words. It felt like she could burst into tears at anytime. "OK, were you angry when he died? How did you feel?" Dr. James asked and it took the musician a little to think of an answer. "I... I was never angry... Just hurt... I was so lost... He was like my best friend, so when I lost him..." she trailed off. It hurt too much to continue talking about her brother.<p>

"It seems like something else is bothering you, yet you still seem like your brother is part of the problem. Is there someone else who reminds you of him?" at the question the artist froze. There was someone. Emily made her feel truly alive again. She brought out the best in her. The athlete made Maya smile like she hadn't in years. Maybe that was why she felt so depressed- because of how much her relationship with the swimmer reminded her of the relationship she had with Luke. "There... There's my girlfriend," she answered.

"Maybe you should talk to her about it. I'm sure if she's able to make you so happy that you compare her to who used to be the most important person in your life she would understand what's wrong," the doctor suggested. "I'll think about it... Thank you Dr. James," she gave a fake smile as she stood. "Anytime Maya, come back soon," he smiled back and shook her hand as she picked up her bag, wiped away a small tear, and walked out of the room in silence.

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><p>Maya did her best to avoid Emily as much as she could. She didn't want to hurt the athlete. But of course, as soon as she walked into school that Monday, arms wrapped around her waist from behind and she felt kisses trailing down her neck. "Hey baby," she heard Emily's voice in her ear and turned, trying to smile. It was obvious that it was a failed attempt. "Maya, what's wrong?" the swimmer asked, concern in her expression. "I... I can't do this..." the musician's voice was barely a whisper as she spoke the words. "Do what? Babe what are you-" Emily was cut off. "Don't call me that. I can't do this. Us. I can't be with you," Maya forced back tears.<p>

She knew that this was the right thing to do. She couldn't keep fighting these urges when the thing that was causing them was a constant in her life. The look on the athlete's face broke Maya's heart, but she stood her ground. "What... What are you talking about? What's wrong?" she asked. Now it was the swimmer's voice that broke. "I... I just... just can't. This is hurting me and it's going to hurt you," the musician felt tears in her eyes, but she forced back the words she was desperate to say. The explanation she was desperate to give.

"Please... Maya... If I did something wrong..." Emily trailed off as she searched the girl's face for any doubt or sign of regret. "No... You didn't do anything... I just... I'm sorry," now the artist's voice was barely a whisper. She looked up at the taller girl, pecked her on the cheek, and walked down the hall in tears, not noticing that Emily was in tears as well.

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><p>It was 3:26 in the morning and thunder storming outside, so when Pam heard the knock at the door she was sure she was either imagining it or that it was simply a branch hitting a window. But she heard it again, and again, and soon she was positive that what she was hearing was a knock. She walked downstairs and when she opened the door what she found was enough to make her literally choke back a sob. There stood Maya, her hair and clothes soaked and dripping wet, her eyes red, tears streaming down her face, and her body trembling. Her wrists were slit and blood was pouring out, and she looked like she could barely stand.<p>

"C... Could... I sp... Speak... Ttto... To Emi... Emily ppl... Please?" the shivering girl managed to choke out. Pam quickly stepped aside and rushed her inside, pulling her to the kitchen. Before she did anything else she bandaged the cuts. They weren't very deep, but they were bleeding and there were a lot of them. "Stay here a moment, I'll go get Emily," Pam whispered, pulling the girl into a hug before making her way upstairs. She knew that her daughter was extremely hurt when Maya broke up with her the previous day, but now she understood why. The musician was going through some serious issues and she didn't want to hurt Emily with them. The older woman walked into the swimmer's room and shook her gently awake.

"Em sweetie, Maya's here," she whispered. "What does she want?" the athletes tone was cold. "She... She wants to see you... Emily she cut," Pam mumbled quietly. "What do you mean she cut? Like... Cut her wrists?" now Emily's voice sounded worried. When her mom nodded she jumped out of her bed and bolted down the stairs. When she saw her ex girlfriend... No- her friend, her heart broke. She couldn't think of Maya as her ex, it hurt too much. She walked over to the shivering girl and looked down at her wrists. Red was quickly taking over as the color of the former white bandages, and the musician's body was shaking. "Maya..." Emily barely managed to whisper her name. When the artist looked up, she burst into tears and threw her arms around the swimmer, clinging to her like her life depended on it.

She clutched at the taller girl's sweatshirt and buried her face in the athlete's shoulder. "I'm so... So sorry Emily I... I didn't want... Want to break up but... But I was... So scared... And... I didn't want..." Maya started rambling through the gasps she was taking for breath and to calm her down Emily started kissing her. "It's... OK... I'm not... Mad at you..." the swimmer managed to get in between kisses. Tears from both girl's eyes mixed and the athlete tightly wrapped her arms around the shorter girl's waist. The kiss was not slow, but it was passionate. Both were desperate to feel each other' slips against their own once again. When they finally pulled away from the kiss for air, their breathing was heavy and uneven, their faces flushed red.

"I'm so sorry Em... I... I didn't-" Maya was cut off by another kiss from the taller girl. "Baby it's OK, come here," Emily instructed, pulling her into a hug. The musician didn't hesitate or try to pull away, instead wrapping her arms around the athlete's neck and burying her face in her neck. "Come on, let's get you some new clothes and get you to bed," the swimmer whispered. She pulled Maya up to her room and within ten minutes she had on a pair of sweat pants, an oversized T-shirt, and one of Emily's "Rosewood High Athletics" sweatshirts. The two girls lie on the bed curled up beside each other, their hands interlaced and their arms around each other.

"I love you Maya, so much more than I ever thought I would love anyone," Emily mumbled as she placed a gentle kiss to her now-girlfriend's forehead. "I love you too Em, I love you too," Maya whispered back. It was the last thing she said before she drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

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><p><strong>So what did you guys think? Hope you didn't cry too much! Anyways, tune in next time to see more Emaya! Till then here is a sneak peek to hold you off!<strong>

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><p>Maya clutched tightly at Emily's hand as they walked into the building together. She sat down in a chair and gave a weak smile to her girlfriend. "Hey, everything's going to be fine," Emily promised. She pecked the musician's cheek and clutched tighter at her hand. Suddenly a voice broke them from their conversation. "Maya? Emily? They are ready to see you."<p> 


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